Interior wall systems formed from a plurality of upright interior panels which are typically serially joined in aligned and/or transverse relationship are conventionally utilized in offices and the like to divide large open areas into smaller work spaces. The upright wall panels are typically manufactured in the factory with final assembly occurring at the job site, which final assembly typically involves attachment of removable cover pads to opposite sides of the upright panel frame, and attachment of various trim pieces along the edges, such as a top cap along the top edge of the panel and side trim covers at the end-of-run position and at corner connections. Interior space-dividing wall systems of the type described above generally permit panels to be joined in right-angled relationship to one another, such as L-shaped or T-shaped configurations, although the perpendicularly joined panels are typically joined at the panel edges in multi-way connections, such as two-way, three-way or four-way connections.
It is an object of the invention to provide an improved connector arrangement for joining wall panel frames together and aesthetically covering the connector structure with trim coverings.
More particularly, the invention relates to a universal connector arrangement comprising tubular corner blocks which interconnect between serially adjacent ends of wall panel frames to join the panel frames together in multi-way corner connections. These corner blocks fundamentally join the panel frames together in proper alignment with each other. These corner blocks further are adapted to readily mount various trim coverings thereon depending on the specific configuration of wall panels, such as with respect to the orientation of the wall panels in a two-way, three-way or four-way connection.
More particularly, the corner blocks include appropriate slots for mounting of single-side trim covers thereto in suspended relation which are positioned so as to maintain proper alignment with adjacent trim covers and also the cover tiles mounted to the panel frames. The corner blocks further include a spacer arrangement which is selectively positioned between the corner blocks and interconnected panel frames to ensure that the trim covers are in flush alignment in the vertical plane defined across the faces of the cover tiles, which spacers are also removable from unused locations on the corner blocks to permit the mounting of the trim covers in flush alignment with the cover tiles.
Still further, the trim covers have an improved configuration which permits covering of the corner blocks when wall panels are interconnected together in a multi-way connection, which panels have different heights relative to each other. The improved trim cover arrangement is readily adaptable to this variable-height frame configuration. In such a case, the single-side trim covers are adapted to be interconnected in a right-angle orientation through a corner spline which interconnects the trim covers together while defining a closed corner.
These features provide an improved connector arrangement for the wall panel system so as to overcome disadvantages with the prior art and provide an aesthetically pleasing system of trim covers that are maintained in precise alignment with each other.
Other objects and purposes of the invention, and variations thereof, will be apparent upon reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.
Certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience and reference only, and will not be limiting. For example, the words “upwardly”, “downwardly”, “rightwardly” and “leftwardly” will refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words “upper” and “lower” will also refer to portions of the panel when in its normal vertically-oriented position of use. The words “inward” and “outward” will refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the panel and designated parts and assemblies associated therewith. Said terminology will include the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.